Some tasty solutions to an excess of potatoes

Three easy variations on dinners and side dishes which feature our favorite root vegetable.

By GOURMETKOSHERCOOKING.COM
Potato and Zucchini Pie (photo credit: gourmetkoshercooking)
Potato and Zucchini Pie
(photo credit: gourmetkoshercooking)
I’ve been to many, many school plays over the years, too numerous to count.  But I remember one that took place in Chelm, Poland.  One of the recurring themes was the abundance of potatoes – and the lack of anything else!  There was even a song bemoaning the fact that potatoes were all they had to eat.  We, on the other hand, are blessed with a large variety of foods to choose from and so can freely enjoy potatoes when we make them.  Here are some easy variations on dinners or side dishes that feature potatoes.  It may have been frustrating to eat potatoes in Chelm; it’s real comfort food now.
Potato and Zucchini Pie
1 pound potatoes, cooked and mashed
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 eggs
8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large zucchini, grated
¼ cup minced onion
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add one tablespoon butter, eggs and cheese to mashed potatoes.  Stir in zucchini, onion, salt and pepper.  Place in lightly greased 9-inch round pan.  Mix bread crumbs with remaining tablespoon margarine and sprinkle over top.  Bake for 30 minutes.
Twice-Baked Potatoes
5 Idaho potatoes, washed, and pricked with a fork
twice baked potatoes
twice baked potatoes
4 tablespoons of margarine
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup tofutti sour cream
¼ cup fresh chives, chopped (optional)
Other cooked vegetable like mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini (optional)
Paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the potatoes in a glass dish and spray the potatoes with non-stick cooking spray. Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes in the oven or until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes in half and gently scoop out the white flesh of the potatoes. Reserve the skins for later. Mix the flesh, with the margarine, tofutti sour cream, salt, chives, and any other vegetable of your choice. Place the coarsely mashed potato mixture back in the potato skins. Sprinkle with paprika. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Reheat the potatoes in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the top is golden and the inside soft and warmed through.
Potato and Mushroom Pie
3 cups cooked mashed potatoes
1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
¼ cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons margarine
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
½ cup tofutti sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place half the mashed potatoes along the bottom of a greased 9-inch pie pan.  Sauté the mushrooms and onion in margarine.  Mix with lemon juice, salt and pepper and spread over potatoes.  Spread tofutti sour cream over this mixture and then top with remaining mashed potatoes.  Bake for 45 minutes.
This article was provided www.gourmetkoshercooking.com